iTunes: Free Tuesday
Once again, TUAW is pleased to present you with a selection of free songs and videos from around the world. Many of these iTMS items won't be free for long, so grab your copies before the week is up. And don't forget: If you want to buy these on your iPhone or iPod touch, make sure to sign into your account in iTunes before you sync.
Details and country-by-country listings follow after the jump.
US Items
US: Julianne Hough, My Hallelujah Song - Single of the Week
Each week we find a track from an artist or a band we've been enjoying and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. As back-to-back winner in television's Dancing With the Stars (with partners Apolo Anton Ohno and Helio Castroneves), Julianne Hough has a solid foundation as one of America's premier ballroom dancers. She furthers her winning streak, this time in country music, with "My Hallelujah Song," the follow-up single to "That Song In My Head," from her new self-titled debut. Hough takes a moment to reflect on her life and offer thanks in a style that recalls Christina Aguilera and Shania Twain. Hough is the antithesis of today's tabloid starlets: a squeaky clean and talented pixie, truly an American sweetheart.
US: The Cool Kids, 88 - Discovery Download
Our Discovery Download puts the focus on a different genre each week, offering up a free track we think is worth your attention. The Cool Kids flex a new rap language, inciting both new and old hip-hop heads to exclaim, "They don't make songs like this anymore." With all its golden age signifiers - the knocking beats, the "yes yes y'all" chants, the guitar stabs - the Cool Kids show immense affection for rap's magical year of 1988. "88" makes the old school futuristic with Mikey and Chuck going sick over cyborg drum breaks, which brings up the question: Are they indeed rapping about 1988 or reporting from the future and reflecting back on 2088? Decide for yourself.
US: Tommy Torres, Tarde O Temprano - Canción de la Semana
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band who's on the cusp of success and bring it to you, for free, as our Canción de la Semana. In the past few years, Puerto Rico's Tommy Torres has established himself as one of the top Latin pop producers on the globe. His work with Ednita Nazario, Ricky Martin, and Ricardo Arjona brought out the best instincts of these artists. "Tarde o Temprano" is the title track from his third solo album and it's a sweeping epic, with Torres blending theatrical rock with a more windswept ballad style.
US: The Academy, Season 2
THE ACADEMY, SEASON 2. A Fox Reality Channel original series, The Academy follows LASD Class 368 as they undergo the toughest and most rigorous Sheriff's training programs in the nation and reveals to the audience the raw emotion, suspense, and commitment needed from the recruits and their families.
US: Dr. Danger, Dr. Danger, Season 2
There are reality shows and there is reality. Season 2 of the hit series heads for the Middle East. Dr. Bob Arnot takes you into the lion's den - to places including Lebanon, Syria, and Afghanistan - with a journalistic style all his own. You'll experience one of the world's most dangerous regions first hand and will quickly learn that this trip is everything but travel and leisure.
International Music
Australia: Armen Firman, Porchdweller - Single of the Week
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band who's on the cusp of success and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. Melbourne's Armen Firman are turning heads with their new single "Porch Dweller", taken from the forth-coming debut EP, Your Name In My Skin. The song is a sombre and thoughtful creeper, both achingly beautiful and proof that Armen Firman are one of Melbourne's best unsung bands.
New Zealand: Armen Firman, Porchdweller - Single of the Week
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band who's on the cusp of success and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. Melbourne's Armen Firman are turning heads with their new single "Porch Dweller", taken from the forth-coming debut EP, Your Name In My Skin. The song is a sombre and thoughtful creeper, both achingly beautiful and proof that Armen Firman are one of Melbourne's best unsung bands.
Canada: Will Currie & The Country French, Surprising Me - Single of the Week
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band who's on the cusp of success and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. This five-man, one-woman band from Wilfrid Laurier University does two things surprisingly well: for one, the group delivers upbeat, cheerful piano-powered pop that can (and does) turn on a dime. And for another, Will Currie - the Country French sound like a band much more seasoned than six hopeful young music students with their tight, effective arrangements and finely honed harmonies. Here's a song for dancing through the sprinklers on a hot summer afternoon that should surprise a great many more people.
Nederland: Gram, The Joke Is On Me - Single Van de Week
Iedere week vinden we een nummer van een artiest of band die op het punt staat door te breken, en bieden het jou dat aan als Single van de Week. "The Joke Is On Me", is een geestig, springerig en vrolijk popnummer van Gram, uit Amsterdam. Gram is eigenlijk het kind van Marg van Eenbergen (Gram is Marg achterstevoren, snappie?) en zij zweeft door dit nummer van haar album Four Letter Word, het lijkt wel een Belle & Sebastian b-kant. Als je houdt van popmuziek met een snelle Motown vibe, met vleugjes hoorngeschal en ietwat hese Franse chanson-achtige vocals (en wie houdt daar nu niet van?), dan is dit echt iets voor jou.
UK: Bon Iver, Skinny Love - Single of the Week
Each week, we find a track from an artist or a band who's on the cusp of success and bring it to you, for free, as our Single of the Week. In a cabin somewhere in northwestern Wisconsin, Bon Iver recorded the sound of a man left alone with his memories and a guitar. On "Skinny Love", he sings in a clear falsetto that perfectly captures isolation and chilly heartache, set against an arrangement of layered jangly dobro guitars and percussion as barren as a winter's tree. This is broken up by simple bluesy runs, minimalist drumming and dramatic shifts in the dynamics and timbre of his voice. We hope that his will indeed be a good winter, as his nom de plume would have us believe - and that the spring thaw will bring us a new album.
France: Kelly De Martino, Marylin Monroe - Single de la semaine
Chaque semaine, nous trouvons un morceau d'un artiste ou d'un groupe que nous avons apprécié et nous vous le faisons partager.Trois ans après son premier album, Kelly De Martino revient avec un nouvel opus : Honest. Fidèle à sa précédente équipe, la Californienne est à nouveau épaulée par Mocke, alias Dominique Dépret. Avec ses dix plages atmosphériques, cet album nous livre des chansons enflammées, dont l'écho se réverbère comme dans une galerie de glaces.Si vous aimez ce morceau, obtenez l'album ici.
Japan: YOMOYA, I Know, Why Not? - 今週のシングル
ブレイク直前、注目の新進アーティストをご紹介するこのページ。今週は、渋谷、新宿、下北沢を中心に活動している YOMOYA。エレクトロニカ、オルタナ、フォークなどのハイブリッドサウンドと親しみやすいアレンジ。叙情性を感じさせるメロディー。そして日本人の心の琴線にふれる歌声が、都内のライブ・ハウスで話題になっている。2006年には、スコットランドの至宝 Arab Strap の来日解散ツアーのオープニング・アクトに抜擢。5年という時を経て、来月ついに初の公式音源がリリースされる彼らの"I Know, why not?"をフリーダウンロード。
